Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) stated that common-sense, bipartisan legislation, including a bill aimed at prosecuting sexual abusers and those who create deepfakes, is being stalled due to her name being associated with it. Ocasio-Cortez made these remarks Thursday on "The Majority Report."
"I have bills that are so common sense ... that pass committee unanimously, that everyone — Republicans agree on, Democrats agree on, swing seat folks agree on — and you know, having people on my team be told, ‘This can’t move because it has her name on it,’" she said.
She indicated that this pattern has occurred previously under both Republican and Democratic leadership. "There is a lot invested in trying to convey an ascendant and popular movement as ineffective, and so there is a lot of incentive by our political establishment to do everything they can to maintain that narrative because it’s one of the few things that they have," Ocasio-Cortez explained.
Ocasio-Cortez co-sponsored the DEFIANCE Act last year. This legislation would grant victims of nonconsensual sexual images, including deepfakes, the ability to pursue legal action. The bill garnered bipartisan backing, including from figures such as the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.).
"It passed unanimously in the Senate. It has a bunch of bipartisan co-sponsors, and yet Republicans apparently don’t want to pass it because it will give you, specifically, a win," host Emma Vigeland asked.
Ocasio-Cortez urged House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Republicans to advance the DEFIANCE Act. "We should not allow pedophiles and sexual abusers to run amok because you just don’t like a girl," she stated.
The DEFIANCE Act comes at a time of increasing concern over deepfake sexual abuse material, particularly content targeting minors. A 2025 survey by Common Sense Media, which sampled 1,314 teens aged 13 to 17, found that one in four had encountered AI-generated sexual abuse material depicting themselves or someone they know.